The role of the Church Administrator is to support the mission and ministry of the Church by assisting the Pastor, volunteer treasurer and the church’s lay leaders to manage the day-to-day operations of the Church, which shall include, but are not limited to the following responsibilities:

• Office management and administration

• Communications with the congregation, church staff and the local community, including the creation of print material (weekly bulletin) and use of automated communications (social media, email, etc.)

• Assisting with financial management of the Church

• Coordinating the use of church grounds and property

Expectations and Qualifications:

To be qualified, candidates will need proven organizational, financial, communication and interpersonal skills, including that he or she must:

• Have 5 years in office and/or business administration, preferably for a *church

• Have excellent organizational and communication skills

• Be very comfortable with technology, including proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) and with social media communication tools ( Website, Facebook, Dropbox) , as well as a readiness to learn new communications technologies

• Have financial/accounting skills, including familiarity with QuickBooks

• Have a caring attitude and excellent people skills

• Be able to work independently and pro-actively

• Be accessible, responsive, and flexible to handle the changing needs of the church

• Be able to properly handle confidential information in a careful and secure manner

• Enthusiastically support the mission, values and goals of the First Presbyterian Church

*Knowledge of Presbyterian worship, structures and polity is an asset.

“Cover The Piggies” Shoe Collection

Once again, we will be helping First UCC on Third Street collect sneakers for school age children in Easton. The sneakers (gently used shoes and new sneakers all sizes) collection will take place until July 29th.

The Mission Team will place a collection box in Legacy Hall for donations and will deliver them to First UCC.

If you know of a family that is in need of this program, please click here to download this flyer to give them. Registration (a must) needs to be done between July 11 and July 19th. Once registered, an appointment time will be given to the recipient (who must be able to pick-up their own sneakers) for Saturday, August 17th.

Support the Troops Collection

Traveling this summer? Please take the small soaps, shampoos, creams, etc. that you do not use. Please bring them to church and leave them in the Mission Team Mailbox. We will be mailing donations to the troops.

Safe Harbor Dinner Sign-Ups

The sign-up sheet for 1st Monday Dinners at Safe Harbor is posted on the upstairs Mission Bulletin Board.

What is Safe Harbor? It’s an Easton Facility for helping those that are unable to temporarily provide for themselves. Lunch and dinner are provided daily by area communities, which includes our congregation.

The “chosen” part may come from the fact that Presbyterians are associated with concept of Pre-destination. I could write a whole newsletter on the history and varying thoughts around this teaching about faith and salvation. But let’s just say that I have known zero Presbyterians today who are overly concerned with the idea of Predestination. What our tradition has always held is the belief that God is the source of all things—even our faith. In that sense God chooses us before we choose God. But even our founding Theologian John Calvin would rush to tell us that we cannot know the will and wisdom of God, so how and to whom exactly God offers faith is a mystery. We trust God’s goodness in the process of giving faith, grace and salvation justly and generously.

But I wanted to focus on the “frozen” part of the nickname Frozen Chosen. Let me give it to you straight: Presbyterians have a reputation for being stiff and reserved. We aren’t known for our joy. This is especially true of the perspective on our worship style. In other words, we aren’t thought of as having a lot of “Spirit”.

So, I had to laugh when recently I spoke to someone who grew up in a non-Presbyterian church. She wanted me to know about the first Presbyterian worship service she had just attended. She was in “culture shock” when she entered the sanctuary and saw everyone chatting and greeting each other. In her home church people sat quietly until the service started. A person sitting in front of my friend had recently had a death in the family and she said: “Everyone was coming up to him and giving him hugs and offering to bring him food”. Then during the passing of the peace, she didn’t know what to do when people left their pews to welcome her, AND someone asked her if they could offer her a hug! So much for stiff and reserved!

Scripture tells us that God’s Spirit is active among us today. The life and energy of the Spirit of God is truly at work in our congregation here in Easton. The warmth we feel and show for each other and for new faces, reflects God’s Spirit. Our love of all kinds of music in worship, reflects God’s Spirit. Our active commitment to Mission and Community engagement—this is God’s Spirit stirring through our faith. God’s Spirit moves in many different ways and differently among different people. Some people feel God’s Spirit in quiet reflective moments and other when they raise their hands and shout “Alleluia”. And there is a lot of room for the Spirit to joyful move us in many different ways. The warmth of God’s Spirit is undeniable in our church. I look forward to marking Pentecost with you on June 9th, when new officers will be installed, a new member welcomed and a dove kite will fly over the congregation (guided by Luke) to remind us that the Spirit is with us, now and always.

Why did Jesus come into this world? Why did he rise from death to new life?

God sent his Beloved into this world so that we might know life in all its fullness. The Prince of Peace defeated death so that we would know without doubt that God’s intention is for goodness to triumph over sin and death.

I pray that the Easter’s promise gives you personal peace. If God would go to such lengths with Jesus, to show God’s love, there is no challenge or hardship or heart break which you should fear. God is with you. God is offering you a path to abundant life, now and after death. Trust in the hope which Easter reveals to you.

But Easter isn’t just for you and me. You and I are called to be Easter people in service to this world—Easter gives us a purpose in this life. We are to be the hands, voice, feet and heart of the Living Christ. This hurting and still broken world needs healthy, whole human beings whose faith compels them to stand up for what is good and right. Sure, we are far from perfect. But God works through imperfect people through-out scripture and through-out history.

Over the past few months, attackers have targeted places of worship around the world. In California a gunman opened fire on Chabad Poway synagogue on the last day of Passover, one of the holiest holidays in the Jewish calendar. The person wielding terror in this horrible act of violence also was involved in a fire at a nearby Mosque. His family attended a Presbyterian Church (though not our same denomination). This breaks my heart. This violence followed a series of bombings on Christian churches in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday; mass shootings at New Zealand mosques last month; and a shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh six months ago.

Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), offer us these words: “As Christians, we are called to renew our own commitment to Him who is The Prince of Peace, and to demonstrate His love toward all of God’s children, regardless of their commitment to other faiths or to none. Let us all renew our response to Him, seeking peace and justice for all, and demonstrating vigilance against every sign of prejudice and potential violence against others.” Let us seek to be God’s Easter people.

Did you know that Easter Sunday can occur as early as March 22 and as late as April 25? This is because Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full Moon that occurs following the spring equinox. Easter this year falls on April 21st. We at FPCE set aside time on Wednesday, March 6th, to share a meal and worship together. Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent, the season of preparation before Easter.

The word “Lent” comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means "spring." According to the publication Christianity Today, Lent is one of the oldest Christian holy day observances: “Like all Christian holy days and holidays, Lent has changed over the years, but its purpose has always been the same: self-examination and penitence, demonstrated by self-denial, in preparation for Easter. Early church father Irenaus of Lyons (c.130-c.200) wrote of such a season in the earliest days of the church, but back then it lasted only two or three days”. In 325 CE, when the Council of Nicaea set the date for Easter, it likewise discussed a 40-day season of fasting for new Christian converts to prepare for Baptism on Easter. And soon after that historic Council met, the fast of Lent began to be practiced church wide.

You will not see the word Lent in the Bible. You will not find Jesus telling his followers to pray or fast …or give up chocolate for 40 days. Many in the Reformed tradition, which includes Presbyterians, historically excluded the Catholic practices of Lent because it is not mandated in scripture. This is why many people in our church did not grow up with services on Ash Wednesday and certainly many did not experience putting ashes on our heads on Ash Wednesday.

But what we and many other Christians model our Lenten practices on are the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness. We see how Jesus endured temptation and prepared himself for his public ministry. During his 40 days, Jesus fasted and prayed. And so I invite you to understand the season of Lent as an important time to do what Jesus did, to take concrete steps to spiritually prepare yourself for your on-going journey to embrace the good news of Easter.

Your pastor,Stefanie

LENTEN PRACTICE – Rev. Stefanie Muntzel invites you to explore with her the topic of spiritual disciplines through a time of Bible study, discussion and “practice”. Please join her on Thursdays, March 14th and 28th from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. March 14th will focus on the spiritual discipline of meditation. We will gather at the church in the Millheim Conference Room.

I suppose I will wade into the territory of poets and ask the question:

What is Love?

One could argue there are different kinds of love, for example, romantic love or familial love. But even with that in mind, folks today use the term very liberally. People are quick to say: I “love” broccoli; or I “love” Schnauzer dogs; or I love ______(you fill in the blank). But we also say earnestly that we love our family and our country. Love is not just a feeling of attraction or affection. Certainly, the bond and sense of connection I have for my son is not “just” a feeling.

Love is something real, a state of relationship as much as a feeling. As people of faith, we proclaim that God loves us. Does God love us like we love coffee or like we love our family? In the book of 1 John you will find the words: “God is love. Anyone who lives faithfully in love also lives faithfully in God, and God lives in them. . . We love because God has first loved us.” I believe God’s love to be the unending, unbreakable love which transcends and surpasses all the fleeting and hard won ways humans love. I may not be able to define what love is, but I know it. I recognize love because I have been loved. My parents introduced me to love. Dear friends help me to trust love. My husband partners with me on sustaining love. And as a child and even as an awkward teen I also knew love from the community of people I called “my Church”. Love is a powerful and mysterious gift and surely it comes from God.

When you walk into the local grocery or drug store this month you will see the telltale signs that Valentine’s Day is coming. There will be red hearts and cupids all over- if they aren’t already. While some may condemn this commercialized, Hallmark holiday, I’m ok with it. I welcome any chance for the world to look to love, in any form, just a little bit more. I welcome everyone saying “I love you” to people who matter to us. There are worse things.

Love is life affirming. Love is energizing. Love is dynamic and catching. This month won’t you join me in wondering about love; won’t you join me in trying to nurture love- love of self, love of neighbor, love for community and… love of God.

“If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13: 1-2

In 2019 I am making a resolution to visit with each of you. If you could, would you help me make this goal a reality? I’d love to meet with you in downtown Easton for coffee or come to your home for a cup of tea or lemonade. In January, I will begin to take my calendar to Fellowship Hour to schedule these “chats”. Then I’ll be reaching out to make sure everyone who is willing is scheduled.

I look forward to getting to know you all (even better) in this my second year in ministry with you.

What are the colors of Christmas? Red and green, you might think. Why then, do we at the First Presbyterian Church of Easton decorate our sanctuary with purple in December?

The use of colors to differentiate “seasons” in a church year became a common practice in the Western (European) church in about the fourth century. The Reformation movement lifted up a great deal of criticism against many practices and teachings of the Church, including critique of the distracting ornate décor of worship spaces. Protestant churches which were born from the Reformation not only embraced certain Bible based teachings (grace, not works) but the new churches also sought a more simplified worship style.

Of course this reforming of worship happened in differing degrees; Lutherans emerged from the Reformation following a “liturgical” calendar and using colors to represent certain celebrations. But for Reformed churches (including Presbyterian) embellishments in the worship space were purged. But then during the 20th century, the ecumenical movement prompted the rediscovery of ancient Christian ritual. The feeling was that maybe we had thrown the baby out with all the bath water- some art and ritual could actually help us focus on God. Seasonal colors once again were used to help us focus on certain Biblical stories and about who God is to us.

So, why purple in December? Purple is used during our seasons of preparation: Advent and Lent. During the four Sundays before Christmas, which we call the season of Advent, we dedicate ourselves for the preparation of our hearts and minds for welcoming Christ. Purple is the traditional color of royalty. In ancient Rome, Adventus was a technical term for the ‘glorious entry’ of the King into the capital city. This often happened when the birthday of the royal leader was commemorated. The early followers of Jesus heard him preach about the contrast between the worldly empire of Rome and the heavenly kingdom of God. Jesus was the representative of God’s peaceable kingdom on earth. So we still use purple to remind us of the coming of the kingdom of God and the coming of our God and King, Jesus Christ, into the world.

Red can, traditionally, only be found on one Sunday during the liturgical year: Pentecost, where the church celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit to the early church as tongues of fire. During most of the church year, which is commonly called "ordinary time", the color that you will see in the sanctuary is green. (Ordinary, related to ordinal or numbered.) Because green is associated with life, the use of green during the times when there are no big festivals or holidays reminds us that God is present among us, breathing life into us and into our church during ordinary times. We use white any time we are celebrating days that emphasize the divinity of Christ-- including on Christmas itself. Also, since white has come to symbolize holiness, it is also often used for the celebration of both baptism and communion.

In this season of Advent take notice of colors and the meaning we have attached to them. What do those colors tell us about who Jesus is? As your pastor, I will be asking you to think about the sacredness and stillness of blackness in a season of flashing bulbs and beeping screens as we wait for the coming of Christ. Also, please notice that we will have new paraments, fabrics with color, in our sanctuary. May the colors and symbols of these small, simple pieces of art help you in your worship.

This past Sunday my heart and soul filled with joy as I witnessed so many of you come forward in worship to dedicate your financial commitment to our beloved church for 2019.

For many this act of promise to support the life of the church is not new. You have heard countless stewardship sermons. You have noted God’s generosity. Out of gratitude, you have given before and you continue to give. For your on-going giving, I can only say “thank you”. For some in our congregation, giving to the church is new. To you I also say: “thank you”. I wonder if terms such as pledges, tithe, first-fruits, even stewardship itself, sound like churchy lingo we use to avoid saying money, fundraising or donations. But words matter. Putting financial giving in the right context is important.

Stewardship language reminds us that “it” is not just about our money. First off, there’s that pesky possessive term “our”. Reminding ourselves that you and I are stewards (managers) of God’s gifts of life, of talents, of time and yes of all material treasures-- is humbling. It puts all our giving in perspective. When we give for the first time or for the 50th time – we are returning to God what is God’s.

Tithe is the Old English word for "tenth." Tithing means to give one-tenth of your income to the church. If you lived in the ancient middle east and followed the Law of Moses, then when your first 100 bunches of grapes were harvested the best 10 bunches went first to the Temple to support the priests and be distributed to the poor (Num. 18:24, Deut. 12:11, and 26:12). Today the exact % is not what I stress. You alone in prayer and discernment can know what amount of money constitutes an act of faithful giving on your part. Today concepts of first-fruit giving and tithing reminds us to set priorities. God should not receive only an after-thought of thanks or the left-over of our material resources. A tithe is a significant portion, one befitting of our generous God.

I’ll end my exploration of ‘churchy language about giving’ with a word about pledging. Your giving is an act of faith, so much so that we include a time of giving in our worship every week. But we ask for a pledge, a promise from you about your yearly giving, at the beginning of our budgeting cycle (around Harvest time) because knowing what level of income we can expect helps us be good stewards. We are committed to maintaining transparent and strong accounting and budgeting practices. So, if you have not filled out your commitment card and returned it to the church, please do so – for the first time or the 50th time. Reflect on what faithful and generous giving looks like for you and please challenge yourself to increase your giving as you are able. Set the church up as a biller in your on-line banking if giving regularly is easier for you that way. However you give, at whatever level you give, I hope that the act of both reflecting on the spiritual act of giving, as well as committing to giving as a discipline and practice of faith, will be meaningful to you. I hope you will find joy in seeing the gifts of God growing as we harvest them together and allow them to multiply under God’s gracious guidance.

I no longer have a garden. I have some herbs and patio tomatoes all up on my deck away from the deer that think anything that grows out in my yard is for them. If it weren’t for farmer’s markets and farm stands, I would forget this is a season of harvest. But it is.

The leaves on the trees haven’t quite turned to their beautiful Autumn colors. Trees are still full of green leaves - some are just brushed with a bit of gold. The days haven’t grown too dark, but the last few nights were cool enough for a comfy sweatshirt. It’s a sweet spot between trees growing and sleeping, between long days and long nights. These in-between times are holy times to take stock of life and to celebrate the gifts of Harvest.

Harvest is a season of plenty, abundance, fullness. Scripture is filled with themes about harvest times. Jesus called God, the Lord of the Harvest (Matthew 9:38). The riches and abundance of God’s blessings to us are both material and spiritual. When we take the time to look at our harvest—all the ways which God supports and sustains us—how can we not feel blessed?

Here at First Presbyterian Church of Easton, each of us individually can be confident in the generosity of the Lord of the Harvest.

Walt Whitman offers a “Carol of Harvest” in his famous Leaves of Grass.

Loud, O my throat, and clear, O soul!

The season of thanks, and the voice of full-yielding;

The chant of joy and power for boundless fertility.

Times of Harvest remind us that God provides—not without our hard work and input—but God provides. So often today people live from a place and a perspective of scarcity and/or fear. Instead, I invite you to adopt a harvest mentality for your living. Look with joy and thanksgiving at your life now and as you think about your life in the future – you can trust in the Lord of the Harvest. You are enough. You can expect and hope for good times and good things in your future. This is what a harvest mentality is about.

Of course, having a bountiful harvest means great opportunities for feasting!! As always, part of the way we celebrate God’s generosity here at FPCE is with food and fellowship. I so am looking forward to our Kenyan Dinner on October 13th when I can feast with you. This year we intend to direct some of the bounty of this event not only to support this church but to share with neighbors in Kenya. Look out for more information about this in the future.

May you enjoy the changing of seasons and take every chance to give praise to God for the many gifts of life.